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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28154151">I'll Be Home for Christmas</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/theydiedofterminalstupidity/pseuds/theydiedofterminalstupidity'>theydiedofterminalstupidity</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Rhack Christmas [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Borderlands (Video Games)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>A little angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff, He gets scared easily, Holiday Gifts, Jack's gross and bloody, M/M, Proposals, Rhys probably deserves better, The poor boy has anxiety, hug him, minor description of violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 17:27:30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,589</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28154151</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/theydiedofterminalstupidity/pseuds/theydiedofterminalstupidity</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After he disappeared on a supposed business trip, Rhys assumes the worst happened to his boyfriend.</p>
<p>Jack just wanted to propose.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Handsome Jack &amp; Rhys (Borderlands), Handsome Jack/Rhys (Borderlands)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Rhack Christmas [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2181570</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>38</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>I'll Be Home for Christmas</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>     Rhys sat cross-legged on the couch, while his mug of hot cocoa steamed on the coffee table in front of him. Blankets made walls and pillows kept him upright. He’d been in this position for a while. Hours, maybe, he didn’t know. He stared at the TV screen as a random Hallmark movie played. The couple on screen made him sick to his stomach. A wave of pain wrenched his heart as he thought about Jack. He had left over a month ago for a business trip, and comms went down during the first week. The chances of him returning from the foreign planet were slim.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>     When Rhys opened his mouth to let out a loud sob, he could feel his skin stretching after his tears from hours ago dried. His hands gripped his hair, and the tears flowed again. It was Christmas Eve, and Jack was nowhere to be found. He could see snow falling gently outside the apartment, littering the window with little white specks. He would have enjoyed the sight if it didn’t feel like his body was being ripped into two. The past week leading up to this moment had been hell. He stayed home from work every day, he ignored incoming calls from his friends. He couldn’t speak to them, not while his voice was raspy and shaking from wailing so often. Rhys couldn’t sleep, eat, or drink since Jack had disappeared. Nothing felt right without him there, and Rhys couldn’t take it. He needed the love of his life back, he needed </span>
  <em>
    <span>Jack</span>
  </em>
  <span> back. He let tears roll down his face one after the other, and he watched the snow fall. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>     He eventually slumped over, and was grateful for the sleep that overcame him. With his head pounding, and his eyes burning, he didn’t think he could have stayed awake much longer anyways. His lips were pale, and dark circles formed under his eyes. He was barely existing, only holding on for the hope of seeing his boyfriend again. </span>
</p>
<p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>     With his hair whipping behind him, he took off throughout the city. He knew every turn like the back of his hand. Blood trickled down from his temple and his chin, he hadn’t bothered to clean his wounds before returning to his home city, Opportunity. He was fairly certain a bullet had caught in his thigh, but the adrenaline was pumping too fast for him to care. His car couldn’t move through the streets quick enough, for his standards, and he growled out of frustration. </span>
  <em>
    <span>All this for a fucking ring</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he thought. The deal had gone bad. He was supposed to meet with an excavationist from Eden-6 who had a rare gemstone crafted into a ring. The band was silver, with the stunning, but not gaudy, gem in the center. It matched Rhys’ ECHOEye, and Jack smiled at the familiar thought. He patted his thigh to make sure the box was still secure in his pocket, and recounted the past few weeks. The first week was traveling from meeting-place to meeting-place, trying to catch up with the kid he was supposed to meet. When he met her, she demanded the money first, and then bolted. The next week was tracking her down. She was planet hopping, and Jack did what he could to follow. To say he beat the shit out of her group when he found them, was an understatement. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>     By the end of the third week, he reeked of blood. The girl revealed that she didn’t have the ring anymore, and Jack lost it. He forced the new location from her, before squeezing the life out of her. He set right on to finding where this other guy was, but that proved to be more difficult than he thought. He never stayed in one place for long, so Jack wasn’t able to track him. But when he laid eyes on him the first time, he smirked when he heard his nose crack under his fist. So, maybe Jack enjoyed hurting these people, but they were keeping him from his boyfriend. He told himself that it wasn’t murder, and that he had good reasoning, and he excused himself.  </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>     Jack groaned and rubbed his eyes with one hand at the thought of his journey home. He found a mechanic who helped him to build a shitty ship, after about another five days of looking, that worked for just long enough for him to get home. She was pleasant, and wished him happy holidays, but Jack had no patience anymore. He slammed the last of the money he brought with him onto the table and immediately boarded the new ship. Shitty was a nice word for it. The bucket of rust and bolts collapsed as soon as Jack landed on Pandora. So, he was stranded again. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>     People were too scared of him to say no, so he got a ride before long. He figured the matted hair, dark eyes, and blood-stained clothes was a fitting look for how he felt. His muscles ached, screaming for a break. </span>
  <em>
    <span>You’ll get a break soon enough</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Jack told himself. He had never felt more relieved to see the quaint apartment complex down the street. They were far from cheap, but he wouldn’t let Rhys know that. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>     He was jumping out of his car as soon as it was parked, and he barreled up the stairs to their floor. Jack kept his steps light to avoid alerting Rhys to his presence. He figured this would work out in his favor, and be the perfect Christmas present. </span>
  <em>
    <span>11:56</span>
  </em>
  <span>, just in time. He stopped outside the door, and got ready to unlock it. </span>
</p>
<p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>     Rhys was in a deep sleep. He didn’t dream, all he saw was darkness. He turned over at the sound of a faint clicking, but figured it was his neighbor coming home after a night of drinking. When a hand found his shoulder, he didn’t think he could have screamed louder. Rhys jumped off of the couch, and barely missed hitting the coffee table with his head. There was a dark figure looming behind the couch. The shutters on the window had closed at some point and no light filtered into the apartment. He blinked to turn on his palm-light, and screamed again when he saw Jack’s bloodied face and clothes. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>     He was silenced by Jack leaping over the back of the couch and scooping the younger man up in his arms. He was cooing into his hair, and rocking him back and forth. It was comforting, but Rhys’ heart was thumping. He pulled back, and smacked Jack across the face. “What the FUCK, Jack?!” His voice was still scratchy, though it managed to get his message across. Rhys’ eyes were wide and full of anger and confusion. He turned on the lights from his palm-comp, and stared wildly at Jack.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>     Jack caved and decided to dignify him with a response, “I’m home, Rhysie, I’m finally home. I’m so goddamn sorry,” he kissed his temple. “I shouldn’t have taken that long. But, good news, I got what I went for!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>     “What do you mean? I thought you were meeting a representative from Maliwan?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>     He was met with a low chuckle, and then he was being set down on his feet. He looked over at the digital clock on the wall, </span>
  <em>
    <span>11:59</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Jack got down on one knee in front of Rhys. “Sorry, baby, I can’t wait any longer. I left to get you this,” he pulled the box from his pocket and presented the ring inside to Rhys. “I love you. So impossibly much. And I really can’t stand not being able to call you my husband, because I want to spend every hour of every day of my life with you, Rhysie. From the day I laid eyes on you, I knew I wanted to call you mine. Clearly, I’ll go to hell and back for you, and I know I smell like blood and metal but it’s a long story. Look, kiddo, please stop me from rambl-“ </span>
  <em>
    <span>12:00</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Rhys took the ring from the box and slid it on his ring finger. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>     He opened his mouth, but no words came out. Instead, the tears started falling again. His body shook as he cried, and smiled widely at the man on the floor in front of him. Jack jumped up and wrapped his arms around him. He buried his nose in his hair, and swayed back and forth with him. He laughed lightly, and squeezed his boyf- </span>
  <em>
    <span>fiancé</span>
  </em>
  <span>. “God I love you, pumpkin,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>     “I love you too, Jack. But you scared the shit out of me,” he punched the older man’s arm, “Don’t leave me again. I fucking thought you were dead.” He hid his face in Jack’s shoulder. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>     “I don’t plan on leaving you, ever again,” he leaned down to Rhys’ ear, “and by the way, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Merry Christmas</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”  Rhys beamed up at him, before meeting his lips in a tender kiss. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>     Rhys pulled away first, “Let’s get you cleaned up, and then I desperately need to sleep, sound good?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>     “Anything for you, Rhysie,” he smiled, and followed Rhys towards their bedroom so he could shower. </span>
</p>
<p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     The rest of their night was quiet, and Rhys fell asleep laying on Jack’s chest. His left hand was laying next to his face, and Jack watched as his eyes flitted closed. He looked between the ring, and Rhys’ sleeping face, and he grinned. He wrapped his arms around Rhys’ waist, and let sleep draw him in.</span>
</p>
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